EU member states divided on the suspension of Horizon funds for Israel

Brussels – As the accusations of genocide pile up against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, responsible for the ongoing carnage of more than 21 months in the Gaza Strip, the European Union is struggling to take concrete actions to put pressure on its Middle Eastern ally. Member states have discussed the Commission’s proposal to partially suspend funds from Horizon+, the EU programme financing academic and industrial research inside and outside the Union, but divisions among the capitals have already emerged. 

The actions of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu (wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity since last November) are receiving increasingly heavy criticism both from Tel Aviv’s international partners—even Donald Trump
expressed doubts. on the Middle East ally’s most recent moves—and from Israeli NGOs themselves, who now
talk openly of genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza. 

Yet, despite proclaiming itself a champion of rights and law, the EU has still failed to take concrete and truly effective measures against the Jewish state to induce it to end the slaughter of Palestinians in the coastal enclave. A month ago, the European External Action Service (EEAS) confirmed the violation of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which requires respect for fundamental human rights and international law by Tel Aviv.

The report came as the revision process of the agreement in question was already underway. As a reaction to that finding, the twelve-star executive  approved last night (28 July) a proposal interpreted primarily as a political signal, namely the partial suspension of funds disbursed to Israel under the Horizon+ programme, with which Brussels supports academic and industrial research in the Member States and some third countries. 

More than a harsh sanction, however, it appears to be little more than a cosmetic measure: if only because, as Berlaymont officials confirm, the funds already allocated in the current EU budget for current projects are not touched, and only a stop from 2028 is mentioned. It is difficult to see how Tel Aviv could feel under pressure to end hostilities as of now. 

Today, the ambassadors of the EU-27 held an initial round of talks to launch the discussion on the issue, but the usual divisions have already emerged. According to EU sources, a group of countries, led by Germany, is pulling the brakes while at least a dozen are in favour of a stop. A qualified majority is needed to approve it: at least 55 per cent of the member states representing at least 65 per cent of the EU population.

If this is ever achieved, the ban will apply to companies based in the Jewish State working on disruptive innovations and emerging technologies with potential dual-use applications, which will not be allowed to apply for subsidies from Brussels under the so-called European Innovation Council Accelerator. 

The EU executive estimates that, if the stop had already been in place for the current budget period (2021–2027), the ‘frozen’ funds for Israel would now amount to around EUR 200 million, i.e., approximately 22 per cent of the €900 million that Tel Aviv has received from the Horizon+ programme over five years. 

The Commission speaks of an “appropriate and proportionate measure” and emphasises that there is a “special urgency” to react to the increasing devastation in Gaza. There are no similar historical precedents of total or partial suspensions of Horizon+ funds. The cases of the United Kingdom and Switzerland, which saw their taps closed between 2020 and 2023 and between 2021 and 2024, respectively, are different because those freezes occurred while London and Bern were not formally associated with the programme.